Adjustable fastening means for handles and the like



E. STRAUSS 2,882,549

ADJUSTABLE FASTENING MEANS FOR HANDLES AND THE LIKE April 21, 1959 Filed June 20, 1956 IN VEN TOR. EDWIN STRAUSS ATTORNEY tating, the lining up of attachment holes with a United States Patent ADJUSTABLE FASTENING MEANS FOR HANDLES AND THE LIKE Edwin Strauss, Bronx, N.Y.

Application June 20, 1956, Serial No. 592,539

1 Claim. (Cl. 16-125) The present invention relates to improvements in fastening means for handles or for any other devices which are secured to doors, drawers, or to any other articles or structural elements by means of two or more screws or the like.

One object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is adjustable according to the distance between holes in a door, drawer or the like, so that it no longer will be necessary to search at length for a handle or the like which fits exactly the screw holesi in an article whenever an exchanging of a handle thelike is necessary. According to the presentinvent is possible to use one and the same size of a handle extended fastening screws or the like;

vision of a device of the character described which can and which will allow a fastening at an equal strength e like fora-pair of holes which are spaced from each other, for'inst ance, at a distance of two to three" and three quarters of an inch, or a larger handle or the like. for a proportionally larger jf range of distances between the holes through :which are be hidden entirely in one end portion of a handlefo'r the like, so that the outer appearance will not be impaired, v

- as that attained with the hitherto known ordinary means, A

A further object of the present invention is the pro-v j vision of a device of the character described which'is provided with a flexible spring arrangement for faciliseries of adjacent holes in a plate of my device.

Yet still another object of the present invention i'sthe provision of a device of the character described which is simple in construction, small in size, light in weight,

.ea'syito operate, sturdy, durable, and well adapted for the purpose for which it is intended. With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing a preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fractional sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the instance shown in the drawing my invention is illustrated in connection with a handle 1. However, it must be understood that the principle of my invenice tion is not limited to handle but can be employed also on other articles such as latches, locks, door knockers, and many others. One of the end portions 2 of the handle 1 is of ordinary design, adapted for having screwed into it one or twov screws 3, which extend through a panel 4 of a door or of a drawer or the like. The other end portion 5 of the handle 1 is partially excavated and has its base portion shaped as a longitudinal channel 7. A pair of grooves 10 are extended through opposite interior portions. of the walls. of. the channel 7, and

a plate 11 is slidable in the channel. 7 and engages with 12', each one of which is adapted for engagingv thev threads of a fastening screw 14. While the bores 12 can be in spaced relation: to each other or adjacent. each other, --I

prefer to make them run into each other, so that they form with each other a slot, the sides of which consist of a'plurality of threaded arches. This arrangement allows a finer adjustment than if the bores 12 were wider spaced apart from each other. The screw 14, which may be a machine screw, or a sheetmetal screw or the like, preferably has a pointed or taper extremity 15. The bores- 12- are, threaded or designed according. to the type rfthe like used. When attachi-ngthe 'handle the bores 12*willib facilitated-by the pointed -or taper factory in many cases, I prefer to interpose a spring 17 between the'plate' ll and the end portion- 5 of-the' handle 20 for receiving thatportion of the screw 1 4"which protrudes beyond'the plate 11 into the handle 1. :Thisexcavation20 preferably has an increased portion 21 for end23 of the spring 17.

Thus the plate 11 is held in position by the end 23 of the spring 17 engaging a notch 22. The spring 17, after its end 23 has engaged the notch 22, still allows a limited lengthwise movement of the plate 11; this movement takes place only after a screw 3 is inserted into the end portion 2 of the handle 1, for allowing the pointed end 15 of the screw '14 to find a bore or a pair of opposite threaded arculated portions 12 into which the screw 14 can be screwed. While the spring 17 can be constructed in any suitable manner, I prefer to make it substantially U-shaped (Fig. 4), having a web portion 24, which rests upon the bottom of the increased excavation portion 21, and having a zigzag flange portion 25, the upper end 23 of which engages a notch 22, as previously referred to. The other flange portion 27 of the spring 17 can be made lower than the flange portion 25. This shape and arrangement of the spring 17 in the excavation 20 will prevent a moving of any portion of the spring to the center of the row of bores 12. This can also be achieved by using an ordinary spring member (not shown) and providing between it and the space beneath the bores 12 a wall portion (not shown) in the excavation 20. The arrangement of the spring 17 and the increased excavation portion as shown allow a t 2 "by the screw.-14 "that extendsthrough af fixed hole inf" I the member 4. Theactual attachingtof tlie end-portion 5 preferably is "carried out aftenthe fen been at least 'loo-selyfattached by -m'eansofone of the 1 of theps'crew 14 .into -tme of;

portion 2' has free movement of the spring 17 between the excavation wall portions 30 and 31 (Fig. 3), so as to resist the shiftand difierent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what *I'claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

-An adjustable fastening means for handles and the like comprising a first member adapted to be'attached to a second member and having an end portion,- a plate i 4 J v.. rs mounted in said end portion and laterally shiftable relative thereto, said plate having a longitudinal slot formed of a row of pairs of opposing arcuate threaded portions, resilient means interposed between the plate and said first member to resist the shifting movement of the plate relative to the first member and a screw extending through said second member and being screwed into a pair of said opposite arcuate portions in said plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 499,834 Great Britain Jan. 30. 1939 

